Care obligations, employment and mental health

Abstract Background The presentation is dedicated to employees who care for others in addition to their work. The starting point is the representative cohort study on mental health at work (S-MGA), which covered both care at home and care outside the home in the second wave of the survey. In this regard, cross sectional associations with exhaustion and work-life balance as indicators of mental health were examined taking into account full-time and part-time employment. Methods The sampling frame consisted of all German employees being subject to social security contributions and born between 1951 and 1980. The baseline sample consisted of 4511 survey participants of whom 1279 males and 1358 females were asked for informal care at the follow-up interview. Employment conditions as well as work-life balance were obtained by personal interview; exhaustion was obtained in a paper and pencil questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted descriptively and in linear and logistic regressions stratified by gender and controlled for age. Results Informal care at home was reported by n = 74 individuals (2.8%) and care outside of their home by n = 236 (8.9%). The association between both types of care with exhaustion was below the level for significance. There was an increase of work-life-imbalance for females caring at home but not for those who were caring outside. For males there were no effects of both types of care. Including the part-time/full-time distinction indicator within the regression models showed that women who cared at home had lower exhaustion scores and lower work-life imbalance when they were employed part-time. Conclusions The results show that caring at home for females leads to work-life imbalance and that part-time employment mitigates the negative effects on work-life imbalance and exhaustion. However, there are strong limitations by the sample size and the number of observations at the second wave of assessment. Key messages The results show that caring at home among females seems to lead to work-life imbalance. Part-time employment seems to mitigate the negative effects on work-life imbalance and exhaustion.


Background:
The presentation is dedicated to employees who care for others in addition to their work. The starting point is the representative cohort study on mental health at work (S-MGA), which covered both care at home and care outside the home in the second wave of the survey. In this regard, cross sectional associations with exhaustion and work-life balance as indicators of mental health were examined taking into account full-time and part-time employment.

Methods:
The sampling frame consisted of all German employees being subject to social security contributions and born between 1951 and 1980. The baseline sample consisted of 4511 survey participants of whom 1279 males and 1358 females were asked for informal care at the follow-up interview. Employment conditions as well as work-life balance were obtained by personal interview; exhaustion was obtained in a paper and pencil questionnaire. Statistical analysis was conducted descriptively and in linear and logistic regressions stratified by gender and controlled for age.

Results:
Informal care at home was reported by n = 74 individuals (2.8%) and care outside of their home by n = 236 (8.9%). The association between both types of care with exhaustion was below the level for significance. There was an increase of worklife-imbalance for females caring at home but not for those who were caring outside. For males there were no effects of both types of care. Including the part-time/full-time distinction indicator within the regression models showed that women who cared at home had lower exhaustion scores and lower work-life imbalance when they were employed parttime.

Conclusions:
The results show that caring at home for females leads to worklife imbalance and that part-time employment mitigates the negative effects on work-life imbalance and exhaustion. However, there are strong limitations by the sample size and the number of observations at the second wave of assessment. Key messages: The results show that caring at home among females seems to lead to work-life imbalance. Part-time employment seems to mitigate the negative effects on work-life imbalance and exhaustion.

Background:
During the COVID-19 pandemic students' lives changed drastically, especially regarding their mental health. Social isolation, induced by lockdown, could be the cause of the development of mental disorders in this population. Therefore, the aim of this study was to identify factors associated with depression during French first Covid-19 lockdown among university students.

Methods:
This cross-sectional study, which is a part of the COVID-19 International Student Well-Being Study (ISWS consortium), used the validated CES-D 8 score (Center for Epidemiologic Studies -Depression Scale) to measure depression levels. Data on socio-demographics, curriculum, living condition, academic environment and social interactions were collected few days after the first lockdown in France, from 13 to 31 May 2020. The potential impact of risk factors on depression was studied by multinomial logistic regression.

Results:
A total of 3593 students were included. The CES-D 8 mean score was 8.65 (SD = 5.08). Literature students had the highest average CES-D 8 score (9.47, SD = 5.16). Independent factors associated with the higher scores of depressions included having limited financial resources (AOR = 2.49, 95% CI = 1.84-3.38) having academic concerns, including students worried about not completing the academic year (AOR = 2.93, AOR = 2.37-3.64) and stressed with changes in teaching methods (AOR = 3.55, 95% CI = 2.82-4.46). Otherwise, living with parents during lockdown and being in a relationship were significant protective factors against depression.

Conclusions:
This study highlights the impact of changing social network, living conditions, and academic environment on depression among university students. Preserving students from social isolation must be a critical priority for universities. Future universities' policy strategy could combine on-site teaching with online courses and consider the role of students' social contacts, with a particular emphasis on mental health. Key messages: Social isolation is an important risk factor of depression in students. Implications for policy makers demonstrating the need for effective mental health programs and guidance as a public health strategy in universities.
iii388 European Journal of Public Health, Volume 32 Supplement 3, 2022